A Staggering Sum

  • Law
  • Trial got under way for Robert Telles yesterday. [RJ; KTNV; 8NewsNow; News3LV]
  • Here’s the Court TV stream for today expected to start around 11 am.
  • Feds who charged Sibella, Bowyer, and MGM take victory lap in LV. [Nevada Current]
  • Staggering sum of Badlands judgments to impact Las Vegas jobs, projects, property. [KTNV]
  • Mother files lawsuit against CCSD over school bus assault. [RJ]
  • Jason Guinasso opines that Uber’s ballot initiative could close the courthouse doors for ordinary Nevadans. [TNI]
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Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 9:50 am

Telles is probably guilty but there seemed to be some shady shit going on he uncovered.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 9:58 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Based on Draskovich’s opening, IMO, has begun the creating doubt process. There’s some OJ-esque attributed to this case….
Can’t deny the buddy-buddy-shady relations between DA’s office and Metro.
After all, look what happened for Tobiasson.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:02 am
Reply to  Anonymous

@9:50
Please explain the “shady shit”.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:04 am
Reply to  Anonymous

The “shady shit” is actually what Telles was up to. German was writing a story about it. But, apparently, he is taking the “accuse others of exactly what you’re doing yourself” tactic. Can’t blame him, that works sometimes.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:10 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Just because he did shady shit doesn’t mean he couldn’t have exposed shady shit at the PA office. Both things can be true simultaneously.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:53 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Just wondering if that’s a defense to murder?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:56 am
Reply to  Anonymous

But the fact that he was doing shady shit (as well as Ms. Kennett apparently) is the shady shit that German was exposing, and it was Telles’s shady shit that enraged him, and it was Telles’s shady shit that was going to be exposed on 9/2/22 according to the FoIA email from CCDA Civil Division on 9/1/22.

So any shady shit he was exposing has no plausible relation to Telles’s car driving from his house, parking in German’s neighborhood, someone getting out of that car and lurking in German’s side yard until the last time German is seen alive, someone getting back into Telles’s car, driving Telles’s car back in front of German’s house right after the last time German is seen alive and then driving Telles’s car back to Telles’s house where the hat, bag and shoes matching those of the murderer are located.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:09 am
Reply to  Anonymous

I’m not sure he was working hard to uncover wrong doing as much as he was working to send cases to his own preferred agents and attorneys. Think about it, someone who is so morally shocked at corruption that he puts his career on the line, but is down with murder? Makes no sense. He was just trying to direct the gravy train that is the public administrator’s office towards himself.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:58 am
Reply to  Anonymous

That is exactly correct and I hope that RJ turns those headlamps on those firms who were getting preferred work from Telles. Looking at you GMD

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:46 am
Reply to  Anonymous

This may be unpopular, but both of these statements are simultaneously true: (1) Rob Telles (allegedly) murdered Jeff German. (2) The pushback he received from employees at the PA’s office was because RT came in and pushed the office to become more efficient. They were closing cases much faster than under Cahill. He reduced overtime. The “old guard” employees did not like it and pushed back. That said, Rob did himself no favors by being a jerk about reforming the office at times and having an affair with a staffer.

I agree that Draskovich is doing great work with the difficult facts that he has. But for the DNA evidence and the ring videos, Rob Telles may have been able to get away with it.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 11:08 am
Reply to  Anonymous

100% this

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 9:57 am

The self-righteousness of PI attorneys never fails to astound me.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 11:09 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Whatever you feel about them, why does Uber get to dictate contracts between private parties.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 12:52 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Uber won’t dictate.. the citizens of Nevada will decide. Find a new talking point.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:43 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

That’s better, lol

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 3:50 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Citizens of Nevada will not consider the ramifications. They will think “PI Lawyers are greedy and bad” because that’s what Uber will spend millions telling them over the next couple years. (BTW: Uber only gives a shit about Uber.) Fast forward 5 years when nobody can get compensated for getting creamed in an intersection because there’s no sustainable business model for PI lawyers. We saw the same thing with med mal “reform” in 2004. Only med mal insurers made out. There was no substantial reduction in doctor’s premiums and it’s nearly impossible to win a med mal case.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 5:13 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

And the “med mal reform” did not solve Nevada’s doctor shortages.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 5:50 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

This is correct. The bigger issue is the alarming concentration of power that corporations and billionaires now have. I am no fan of the old taxi cartel, but it was a local cartel. Uber came in and, politically, crushed it like a bug. Now it will do the same thing to PI attorneys. These were both 800 pound local gorillas. Now they are being smashed by an 8,000 pound multi national gorilla.

The genius of Ubers success in this campaign will be that they pit the public against PI lawyers. Uber will then extract a ridiculous shield of liability from that conflict. The public would never approve a ballot measure that explicitly limits Ubers liability. But you can bet the public will enthusiastically seek retribution against PI attorneys. This is gonna pass.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 16, 2024 10:48 am
Reply to  Anonymous

There is no actual *evidence* supporting the argument that this proposal will limit injured plaintiffs from securing counsel or obtaining compensation — unless, of course, you count the self-serving/conclusory declarations submitted by the plaintiffs bar. The simple reality is that, in 5 years, there may be fewer PI shops as profit margins tighten (not necessarily a bad thing). If someone gets “creamed in an intersection”, there will always be a PI lawyer eagerly waiting to send off a demand letter and collect 20% of the $25k policy.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 16, 2024 11:50 am
Reply to  Anonymous

>the argument that this proposal will limit injured plaintiffs from securing counsel or obtaining compensation

> there may be fewer PI shops as profit margins tighten

It’s designed to disincetivize lawyers from doing PI. Less PI shops, less PI lawyers = less PI lawsuits. Which is exactly what Uber wants, right?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 18, 2024 4:24 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

We all know it will just result in PI attorneys and their partner chiropractors in fabricating more fake medical damages.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 16, 2024 12:58 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

20% AFTER costs.

So basically… if that lawyer has to take the case to trial and an expert is going to cost $5K…. that 20% is calculated (even on a case that goes to trial) AFTER the costs are deducted… so less than 20% of the recovery.

Imagine the conflict that creates between the client and the attorney. The attorney is disincentivized from spending the $$ needed to win the case to the full value because it reduces the recoverable fee.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 18, 2024 4:25 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Costs are recoverable to the prevailing party.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 18, 2024 5:28 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Most cases don’t go to trial. The conflict here is very real.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 19, 2024 8:32 am
Reply to  Anonymous

You understand you can collect costs on an exclusive offer of judgment, right? You don’t need to go to trial to obtain costs.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 18, 2024 4:22 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

How is that any different than the NJA spending a fortune to lobby for laws that increase their profits and drive up medical and insurance costs for everyone else every two years? This is the game the NJA plays, they’re just made they’re not the only one playing it this year.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:05 am

Silver Flume is down today. I guess the government can’t update servers, etc. at times more convenient to their customers/taxpayers, such weekends or evenings.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:02 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Working for me.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:05 am

The article on the Badlands is infuriating. The City’s attorneys told them not to do that and instead they bowed to their wealthy patrons at Queen’s Ridge and now we’ve all got to eat it. Fun times.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 11:22 am
Reply to  Anonymous

I wish there were a way to make the Queen’s Ridge residents pay for all of this — some kind of special assessment or tax. Any council person that went along with them should be voted out. They were clearly acting on behalf of the mega-wealthy instead of focusing on the community as a whole.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 11:45 am
Reply to  Anonymous

This a thousand times. Some rich NIMBYs throw a temper tantrum and now we all pay for it. Unacceptable.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 12:41 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Why wasn’t this a thing when the Silverstone debacle was going down? Wasn’t this basically the same thing?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:46 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Silverstone HOA owned certain rights to ensure that the land would remain a golf course. Queensridge residents had no such rights for Badlands.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:54 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

That’s kind of what I thought. They were guaranteed those rights after the Seven Hills/Rio Secco Golf Course case debacle.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 2:27 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Speak for yourself. We made a lot of money on that debacle.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 2:34 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Actually, what I meant was . . . It was incorporated into the CCNRs for the homeowners to have that right, to avoid the litigation similar to the SH/RS debacle.

I was involved in one aspect of those cases, as well.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 11:50 am
Reply to  Anonymous

I vote once the City owns it, it turns it into high-density low-income housing. With bus routes running every 15 minutes.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:57 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Apartments that accept Section 8 vouchers. The City legit needs affordable housing and I can’t think of a better location.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:06 am

Civil Lit. What is the best way to go about getting mirror images of OPs hard drive and/or cell phone. Via a RFPD? Or?
(No this is not scorched earth; it’s necessary in this case). Fully intend to utilize parameters to help get only what we need.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:08 am
Reply to  Anonymous

I’d send an RPD for it and then separately offer to set up a time for them to submit the device to whatever vendor you’re using.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:11 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Request to produce, reach out to opposing counsel to try to work out the logistics in a way that makes sense, if they won’t cooperate, it will eventually become a motion to compel and the Court/commissioner depending on where your case is will give you parameters. There are a bunch of different IT companies that you can use.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:22 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Don’t fall for the old “my brother is my IT guy and crashed my servers so everything is lost” trick. Make sure you go deep down the rabbit hole on that.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 11:31 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Mirror OP’s entire hard drive? The privilege log will probably be epic.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:25 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

HOLO discovery does a great job of this.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:44 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Great suggestions. I would start with a spoilation letter.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:21 am

Any recommendations on how to get a judge to enter a judgment that has been sitting with the Court for almost 120 days after trial? The Court orally entered a judgment in my Client’s favor, the order was promptly lodged…nothing has happen, an email inquiry was sent 30 days ago, the Clerk confirmed receipt and stated that the Judge has not yet reviewed.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 10:53 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Which judge/

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 11:13 am

Telles looked yesterday like he was seeing evidence for the first time

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 12:13 pm

Draskovich “mistakenly” called German “Goering” at one point prior to the break and thanked the former detective for “lying” no laying it all out for everyone.

I guess that’s why he gets the big bucks.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 12:42 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

It’s the little things . . . .

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:45 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Priceless…

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:06 pm

Telles has this thing in the bag. Who knew the DA had no evidence. Kudos to Telles for calling their bluff. At this point I hear Telles is only offering to plea to involuntary manslaughter. Smooth operator.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:16 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

You heard wrong friend. He is only offering to allow a DA of his choosing to plead as a sanction for charging him in the first place.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:24 pm

Interesting decision out of the 9th Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel(BAP). Terry Wike is seeking reinstatement to practice. State Bar conditioned reinstatement on payment of costs of disciplinary proceedings to the SBN: the actual costs of the hearing and the flat “suspension fee” of $2500 under SCR 120. Wike filed BK an got his discharge. Wike files for reinstatement.
NSC conditions reinstatement on paying the suspension costs. Wike asserts that any debts for suspension were discharged in his subsequent bankruptcy. Nevada Supreme Court stated that it did not care under 11 USC 525 if those obligations were discharged because its the gatekeeper to practicing law and will impose whatever conditions it wishes.

Hooge arguing in front of the BAP says that Wike cannot discharge his debts to the SBN. BAP disagreed with Hooge and said a governmental entity’s regulatory motive is not a relevant consideration for purposes of § 525(a) and, as a result, cannot serve as a basis for denial of a discharge under the statute.

The other interesting part of the decision is that the Nevada Supreme Court weighed in before the bankruptcy court and ruled. BAP sent a message to the NSC that bankruptcy courts make determinations of dischargability.

I do have to ask why Hooge thought he was competent to argue a complex bankruptcy question in front of the BAP since competence is one of those sticky regulatory things.
https://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/bap/2024/07/03/23-1179.pdf

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:30 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

What a stupid fight, for both sides.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:34 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Not if you’re a BK junkie (I know. I know. Just . . don’t.) This is actually super interesting. The nuances of complex BK practice are more chess like than any other area I have ever been exposed to and I am not ashamed to say that I love it!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:43 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I would have paid the fees and then for spite, sued the NSB (and Hooge personally) for violation the permanent stay. I might’ve left out the NSC, but maybe not.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 7:08 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

That would have created voluntary payment doctrine problems

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 9:47 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Fine, I get that it is academically interesting for some. But what is the value of the time the State Bar spent on this? How can they defend or justify it?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 16, 2024 6:41 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Welcome to the world of “I don’t have to pay for the consequences of my decisions.” See also, my HOA, choosing to spend $1500 in attorneys fees over a $100 challenged fine.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 16, 2024 9:06 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Or the HOA claiming $69,000 in attorneys fees chasing $1000 unapproved architectural improvement.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 16, 2024 9:10 am
Reply to  Anonymous

6:41am is 2 steps away from realizing the recurring problem with bureaucracy.
If you pay no price for being wrong, you don’t care about being wrong.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:41 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Terry Wike, for good or for ill, has never had any problems generating legal theories that are way, way, outside the box. Sometimes it works. Sometimes OC is confused because he keeps pressing the issue despite getting slapped down at every stage. In this case? It’s fascinating. I mean, who the hell goes to federal Bk court and then appeals a decision over $2,500? This is the kind of opinion that is desperately needed, but that is (almost) never going to happen because the relative stakes are low.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 7:09 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

I applaud him. Nakagawa almost never gets reversed. And he got him reversed.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:41 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Federal courts have the ability to determine that a state is violating the Bankruptcy Code in their state actions.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:44 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Good ‘ole supremacy clause

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:53 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

@1:39
Well, half right. Tax debt is not discharged except for limited circumstances. Car debt may be discharged, but creditor can take its security and sell it.

In all instances, federal courts and agencies are superior to state and local government and agencies in areas in which the federal government regulates.

Of course, with the NextGen bar exam, applicants won’t have to know anything about this.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 1:57 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

But the federal gov doesn’t regulate bar admissions so is that guy out of luck?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 6:09 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Because obviously NRPC 1.1 doesn’t apply to bar counsel, n00b.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 2:09 pm

Draskovich did a nice job crossing the medical examiner about the amount of blood that would have likely come from the wounds. Underscores the arguments about the lack of blood on the clothes found in Telles’ house.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 2:26 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Severing the carotid and/or the piercing heart wound would have caused massive fatal blood loss without necessarily getting all over Telles. This was not a protracted attack.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 3:25 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Wouldn’t have to get “all over” Telles, just *some* blood on Telles. The clothes Metro recovered had NO BLOOD. I think Telles did it, but this is a weird part of this case and Draskovich is doing a nice job.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 3:37 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Telles making a lot of faces while medical examiner was looking at autopsy photos.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 11:25 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

shoe had blood mark on it, but didn’t test positive, he just cleaned everything before he cut it up?

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 3:24 pm

Draskovich is fucking this real estate agent HARD.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 3:58 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

Zach Schilling is the Kato Kalin of this trial, so far.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 3:34 pm

Hamner, Weckerly and Draskovich are all great attorneys, but Draskovich is clearly the best of the three. It is so fascinating watching him maneuver through an impossible set of facts.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 3:55 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

It’s much easier to knock a hole in a wall than to build an entire house.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 15, 2024 11:27 pm
Reply to  Anonymous

What time did you find the cut up murder shoes at my client’s house? you don’t know? how can that be? clearly METRO is hiding something…

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 16, 2024 9:07 am
Reply to  Anonymous

Notice your name is not in the report? Well it is if you figure that everyone misspells my name, even my co-workers.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
August 16, 2024 9:24 am

Can we get a dedicated Telles trial thread this morning? I’m sure plenty of people are watching live